A Reflection on Refugee Ministry

by Rachel Morehouse

Imagine that you have just been dropped off at a minimally furnished apartment in a country you've never visited. The markings on the appliances don't make sense to you. There are bottles of different things around the place, but the packaging isn't familiar. You are exhausted and want to settle in, but don't want to accidentally bathe your children with a cleaning product! There's even food in the fridge, but you're not sure how to cook it.

Four years ago as I looked for ways to be more involved in the community, I remembered how vulnerable it feels to live in an unfamiliar culture. While teaching English in Japan in 2003-2004, even once I spoke some Japanese, I couldn't read Kanji characters. I needed to humbly ask for help to get to the correct train platform or understand prices. It made such a difference to sit around the low table in my friend Abe-san's home while she fed me a parade of strange foods and we laughingly attempted to communicate.

If you can read English and have an open heart and a little time to offer, great news! You are gifted for refugee ministry! Simply showing a family how to use a dishwasher, or how to make that annoying beeping sound STOP by changing a smoke alarm battery, will make you a rock star in their eyes! They are desperately eager to meet an American friend.

Refugee ministry is, at its core, incarnational. To simply show up and be present with a newly arrived family is incredibly meaningful to them. They have survived harrowing experiences, such as war, gang violence, and displacement. The lengthy, strenuous refugee vetting process means that the families that are invited to the U.S. are the most in need, usually including young children or other vulnerable people. Having a trusted friend or team to call when they need assistance with school registration paperwork, or get a letter in the mail that they don't understand, makes a real difference in the life of a new arrival. They will probably thank you by serving astonishingly delicious sweet hot tea, or tiny cups of gingered coffee.

One of the beautiful lessons I've learned from my relationships in this area is to stay for that cup of tea! American efficiency gets a lot accomplished, but culturally we have lost something when we are too busy to sit and linger with a friend. Taking a little more time affirms the importance of the relationship.

On the other hand, a challenging area for me has been growing in flexibility. I'm a planner, and tend to approach my days with a clear idea of what I'm doing and when. Sometimes when you visit a newly arrived family expecting to help fill out job applications, they need a ride to the food pantry instead. Or, perhaps their child got sick and they need assistance making a call to the pediatrician. Staying loose and flexible means that their greatest need can be met, and lets the family take the lead.

I'll conclude with a final note about ministry in the time of Covid-19. I was recently the support person for a single mom having outpatient surgery. I view this work as essential and was willing to forego other gatherings to ensure I would be healthy to support her. However, if you are immunosuppressed or are otherwise currently uncomfortable with in-person ministry, there is a lot of valuable support work to be done behind the scenes! For example, the mother I'm currently helping will soon need to file for child support, make dentist appointments for the kids, look for additional financial assistance after losing three weeks of work post-surgery, find winter shoes for everybody, and many other tasks. You can provide meaningful support to the team making in-person visits by doing research, making phone calls, locating and emailing needed forms, organizing donations, or running errands.

Deuteronomy 10:17-18 tells us that "The Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing."

Beginning a relationship with a refugee family is a stretching and incredibly rewarding adventure that aligns with the heart of God.